Where Were You At 4:00AM

Where were you at 4 AM EDT this morning?  If you were like most of the world you were watching the Royal Wedding.  It was a spectacular event and it was truly a sight to behold.  I enjoyed watching it.  For me it was nothing out the ordinary to be up.  It was just something different to distract me.  I was in my usual Friday morning haunt, the  ice rink trying not to make faces during my daughter's lesson.  She doesn't appreciate my silent commentary.  In any case I had the lovely distraction of Prince William and Kate this morning.  I watched the wedding from the bench in the lobby of the ice rink.  It was hardly the most romantic spot, or even very comfortable, but I had my beautiful styrofoam cup of coffee (delicious and free for morning ice parents I might add, one more reason I  LOVE our rink!) 

It may not have been comfortable, glamorous, or exciting but we had a great time watching the wedding at the rink.  We loved commenting on the variety and style of hats.  Hats and skating don't really fit well together so we don't often appear at anything in a hat unless we are spectators and it is a stocking cap to keep our ears warm.  I love to see full on British "hattitude"  (thanks other rink friends for that term, it is so perfect!)  We also got to chit chat about our favorite and not so favorite royals.  I did feel a bit bad for the group dubbed "the lesser royals".  How's that for a self esteem buster?  Aside from one moment of sheer blankness where about 6 of us wondered aloud why Kate's Dad didn't arrive with her Mum and brother (are they separated or divorced?  I never have heard that.  Ask the skating director she'll know.  Oh yeah, he comes with her to walk her down the aisle!  Duh!)  we did pretty well.  I don't really feel to bad about the Dad thing, there were  6 of us wondering it at the same time and none of us put it together, and the skating director did know, but she probably went back in the office and laughed at us! 

I only wish we had thought ahead and planned a morning party.  We used to do that when the kids were younger.  We celebrated birthdays, holidays, all sorts of occasions.  Everyone would bring food and we would celebrate.  I miss that a lot.  I think I am actually the last person from that early morning crowd still at the rink, the others have either grown up, gone on to other rinks, or just quit skating.  It seems like this would have been the perfect occasion for a party.  We could have at least planned tea and scones.  Oh well, at least I got to see it!  I didn't aggravate Belle during her lesson!  I don't even know what she did today and frankly for once I just don't care! 

Arriving late with STYLE

I couldn't sleep last night.  I kept waking up and my foot was really itchy.  I tried cortisone cream with no success so I finally took a benadryl since this morning was not a skating morning.   Big mistake!  I could not wake up this morning.  I overslept by about an hour.  I got up and moving very slowly and finally realized that I needed to be at work.  Fortunately work is close so I hopped in the car and headed off to work.  I arrived to find...

everyone on the staff headed back out of the building as the fire alarms went off.  Of course the fire truck was arriving, and the boss was trying to maintain control.  Students were arriving, parents needed to see teachers, it was crazy.  And there I was obviously arriving, obviously without any school bags, (I knew I wouldn't get to it last night so why drag it home?), and looking a frightful mess.  Way to start my day!

Superstitions

I shouldn't admit this but I am very superstitious about my kid's sports.  I fight hard not to be.  It is really ridiculous, although not uncommon in the athletic realm.  Who really believes that wearing the same unwashed socks all season helps your game?  I think it just leads to foot fungus and keeps people away from you.  Having said that, most athletes have some sort of superstition.

Moose decided during his senior year that wearing his letter jacket on game day was bad luck.  Now he had only had the jacket since the previous spring and it was really expensisve!  That was irrelevant.  He wore it one game day and they got slaughtered and he played poorly.  Why?  The letter jacket of course.  So into the closet it went.  He wore it about 10 times total I think.  What a waste of money.  Sometimes I wear it just to get some use out of it.  It is very warm.  Both Moose and Belle are appaled by my wearing it, that is a bonus.

Belle has to lace her skates a certain way at a certain speed.  Don't interrupt, it throws off the groove.  She also has some competition day quirks as well.  I have learned to let it ride, if I comment it leads to a lot of frustration for both of us.  I have even told her coach to keep quiet about things- how her hair looks, missing earrings, etc. before she skates to keep the peace.  She is probably less superstitious and more a creature of routine.  The routine provides comfort when she is stressed and that is actually a really good coping skill in my opinion.

I tend to see signs everywhere.  Look a rainbow, we are going to have a great competition.  They played your favorite song on the radio right as we pulled into the parking lot, that has to be good luck.  We had a lousy drive up and the car got a flat, that doesn't bode well.  Now logically I know that none of that has a thing to do with a good game or competition.  I just can't seem to get over my superstition.  It doesn't matter how much I try to be logical, I get superstitious.  I think it makes the whole family sort of crazy, but hey at least some good comes out of it.

Run Away

Today we were up in Maryland for yet another tryout for Belle.  We got there a little early because I wasn't sure exactly how long the drive would be from our house.  While she was warming up I got to observe a group of Learn to Skate parents.  The first thing I saw was an irate mother who was furious that her tot wasn't getting any personal attention from the instructor.  She wanted the manager and wanted to sign up for private lessons.  I didn't catch all the conversation, but I could tell she was mad.  Then I watched as the children came off the ice.  There were varying degrees of parent response.  Some were so enthusiastic, "Did you enjoy that?  You did such a good job going around the cones!"  Others just took skates off and gathered belongings and left.  It was interesting, though, to look back at where I come from.

When your child is little and in Learn to Skate you see a future of Olympic potential in front of you.  You are sure your child is the next skating prodigy and you just know that this will be there ticket to the front of the Wheaties box.  Of course I know not every parent feels that way, but there are lots of us that did or do.  This is before your child actually heads out into the real world of U.S Figure Skating competition.

I will never forget Belle's first U.S. Figure Skating competition.  It was a local competition and fairly small.  It was also designed as an entry level competiton, at that time it was No Test (meaning skaters hadn't completed an entire USFSA test) through Intermediate.  Belle was skating at the No Test level.  I can't remember if she had done any Moves in the Field tests yet, but she was no where near ready to do any Freeskating tests.  In case you are not familiar here is a link to the current "structure" of US Figure Skating  http://www.usfigureskating.org/content/U.S.%20Figure%20Skating%20Pipeline.pdf  It is actually a lot more complex now than when we started.  Anyway, Belle was ready to go.  She had her program, her dress, her music, and we were ready to take on the world.  People at our rink warned us it would be a huge difference from the recreational competitions we had done.  I don't think we really listened.  Belle placed to second to last in her free skating group.  She was devastated. 

This was the first experience we had with girls who were seriously training.  Some of these girls have gone on to be competitive at the National level.  They had obviously spent a lot more than we had on training, dresses, music, boots, blades, even hair accessories.  These little six year olds were in custom designed dresses with thousands of crystals on them.  Belle was wearing off the sale rack with almost no crystals.  It was an eye opener!

Still I didn't quite get it.  I thought it was all about effort and hard work.  That Belle did.  She worked hard.  From 4th grade on she got up at 4:30 in the morning to go skate before school.  She went back after school.  She practiced in the yard.  She gave up play time on the weekends to go to the rink.  We switched coaches, and then switched again.  Somehow I was still missing the key. 

These skaters are the perfect combination of effort, talent, and money.  Effort we have plenty of.  Talent, maybe not quite as much, but Belle is no slouch in that department.  What do we lack then?  Money.  I can't compete with skaters who spend $40,000 or more a year on their skating.  We will never be in that league. 

So back to the hopeful Learn to Skate parents I witnessed today.  Half my heart says run, run fast and far now!  But there is that part that still sees the potential Olympian in Belle.  I still share those hopes and dreams she has for herself.  I waffle a lot, there are many moments when I wish we had never put her feet in skates, but then I see the joy she has on the ice, the beauty she conveys, the grace.  Keep on hoping Learn to Skate parents, help your children follow their dreams as far as they can go.  Love them, support them, pick them up and brush them off when they fall.  Enjoy the journey, it will end all to soon.

Counting Down

Peter Pan is counting down.  He has today and one week left at this job.  He is applying for various other positions.  We are hopeful.  I try to put a positive spin on it, but I am worried.  How am I supposed to pay for life without this income?  Let me back track a little.  In case you didn't know Peter Pan's company is making cut backs.  They are going from 3 people to 2 in his office.  He was the most qualified but the least senior.  So we were waiting to see if they would choose qualifications or seniority.  Seniority won out and he has been told he will be laid off.  This isn't unexpected, but it still seems harsh to me. 

So we are at 6 days and counting down. He will apply for unemployment benefits, any job that seems like a good fit (no Wal-Mart greeter yet, not until we get desperate), and we are "hopeful".  We are lucky, he has his military retirement.  Still, a drastic cut in our income is not a good thing.  I told him he needs to start extreme couponing!  We are looking at where we can make cuts in our spending habits.  We still need to pay the mortgage, and the electric bill and heaven help us if we don't have ESPN.

I am not worried about day to day expenses, I want to know how I am going to pay for things like skating and Moose's pizza addiction.  How do I handle the 6:00 AM phone calls "Mom I'm at the VMI infirmary and I have pink eye. They want $20 for my prescription."  What about the emergency vet visits when I can't figure out if it is a real dog crisis or not?  We are at a critical place in our lives (of course isn't that true always, for anyone).  I know there is a plan, but what is it?  I don't like not knowing!  I don't like waiting!  I am not blessed with patience! 

Almost as if to put an exclamation mark on the uncertainty Belle has been asked to go to Maryland for another tryout.  This is an easy one, we will drive up Saturday.  It seems like a perfect fit, it is close enough to home for her to get back and forth more easily, the coaches have a great reputation, the young man looks like a good skater, but not too far ahead of Belle.  Oh, but Peter Pan is unemployed, how is that going to fit?  I don't know, I am going with the flow on this one.  We are playing it out and seeing what will work out.  Wish us all luck!

Blogger's Block

I am at a loss.  I don't know what to write about.  There are no ideas flowing forth from my brain.  Well, that is a lie, I should say there are no GOOD ideas flowing forth from my brain.  Maybe it is the time of year.  I do remember telling someone last year that I had "end of school year tourette's'" a disorder where I spontaneously said whatever popped into my brain.  I don't think that is the right description really.  I think sleep deprivation, stress, and 3/4 of a school year have all served to completely wipe out whatever small filter I had.  This isn't good, I really shouldn't say or write whatever I think.  It is often very inappropriate.  So I struggle through this end of year stress time and try to filter myself. 

Then other stupid stuff seems to happen-like spraying pledge instead glade into the kitchen.  The result is a pleasant smell, but a deadly slick floor.  Of course I forgot about the slick spot and hit it full on and slid into the cabinet- it's okay some of the toes on my left foot are pretty numb ever since I broke my leg (yes it was ice skating, no I wasn't doing anything cool, just trying to get off the ice during a crowded public session.)

And of course there are the many times when I don't actually filter what I am saying.  So today I have made my husband and my daughter angry.  All in all it has been a winner of a day.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.  Maybe if I sleep tonight I will regain some filter, at least I hope I do because I am taking my class on a field trip and I have quite a few  parent volunteers joining me.  Wish me luck!

Meaghan's Story- link correction

I wanted to do a quick update.  I put the wrong link in the last entry for "Meaghan's Story- More Than Just a Statistic".    If you are interested in purchasing it, it is only available through Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Meaghans-Story-More-Than-Just-Statistic/dp/0982618042/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302008270&sr=8-1
 
I corrected the original blog, but i want to be sure that everyone has the correct link.
Sorry about the confusion.

In Memory...

Today I am taking a break from my normal humorous writing to remember an amazing young woman who touched my life.  This is the third anniversary of her passing and the world is a little dimmer without her here.

I met Meaghan Colleen Herrity at Open House. She had just found out she was in my third grade class. She didn't want to be in my class, she wanted to be in another class with her good friend and the teacher that threw candy when you got the answer right. Along with 22 other anxious and disappointed third graders (I was the new teacher at my school that year, they didn't know me or want me) and their parents she came to greet me but she didn't show her disappointment. Instead she turned on a 1000 watt smile and all the charm in the world. She politely greeted me then looked around my boring looking classroom, I had been hired at the last minute and didn't have all the cute posters, bulletin boards, and decorations that the other teachers had. She stayed for a few minutes then left. As it turned out she had a great year in third grade.  She was a fun,capable, delightful, enthusastic learner.  She loved to laugh and enjoyed joking around with me.  She hated to take tests, and sometimes her test anxiety got the best of her, but she learned that year that she could manage tests on her terms.  She was, best of all, a Red Sox girl!  I learned that Target was an awesome place for retail therapy, a good joke is always fun, and that some things are way more important than any test.  That however was really just the beginning of this story. 

Meaghan moved on to 4th grade, 5th, middle school and finally high school.  Then in the spring of her freshman year of high school she was diagnosed with a grade IV glioblastoma, a brain tumor that had settled in her nervous system.  The prognosis was grim, she wasn't given much hope and due to the placement of the tumor she also had lost her ability to walk.  Meaghan, however, was a fighter and she did walk again.  She outlived the doctor's gloomy prognosis and grew stronger.  She didn't give up, or give in.  She fought hard for 2 years, inspiring those who knew and loved her.  She never complained, she just kept pushing to be better, even when the cancer returned and once again took away her ability to walk.  She rallied her classmates to raise money for to help other children with cancer.  She was always optimistic, even when doctors gave her the worst news.  She made a point to keep up with her school work.  She was elected as the Jr. Class Homecoming Princess.  She was honored by York County with a courage award.  She kept up with her friends, she shopped, she watched TV.   She lived!  She loved!  She made waves!

It is in her memory that I write today, to honor the spirit of an amazing young woman who fought courageously and  awesomely.  Meaghan taught me more than I ever taught her.  When I feel at my lowest I remember her example and think "how would Meaghan have handled this."  She took what life threw at her and made the most of it.  She inspired an entire class of students to think of how they can help others first.  She faced the unimaginable with courage, grace, and more concern for others than herself.  She may be gone from this earth but the waves she started continue to reach the shore through her charitable foundation.  Thank you Meaghan for teaching me more than I ever taught you, for inspiring me and so many others, and for being a bright and shining star.  We miss you!

I will leave you with one of Meaghan's amazing poems:

Rebirth

Meaghan Herrity

My eyes grow old at the changing colors

Bright orange, crimson reds, golden yellows

Autumn’s chilly grasp takes hold of the days

Bitter winds blow from the North, East and West

The clear blue sky turns to a dreary gray

Trees ablaze with color become barren

The ground is cold and hard beneath my feet

It is covered by a mountain of leaves

Soon winter will descend upon the Earth

The fresh snow covers the death of autumn

Beneath the soil, nature is at slumber

The warmth of the sun brings hope for new life

The empty limbs of trees are green and lush

Their beauty breathes new life into my soul

The aroma of spring wakes my senses

Nature’s renewal, behold its splendor
Beautiful colors lift my weak spirit

I look to the heavens, my soul renewed

The promise of rebirth is now fulfilled

To learn more about Meaghan's legacy, The Meaghan C. Herrity Charitable Foundation click here:  http://www.meaghancherritycharitablefoundation.org/

Meaghan's story is available at the following link.  Proceeds go to her foundation: http://www.amazon.com/Meaghans-Story-More-Than-Just-Statistic/dp/0982618042/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302008270&sr=8-1



Stupid Stuff

I am completely lost right now- Moose has been out of touch because of school/football practice/military exercises and Belle is in Italy on an educational tour.  I was planning on a "super, selfish Spring Break" where I got to do exactly what I wanted to do.  I had it all planned... well, not so much.  I figured I would sleep in- other skate mom's know what I am talking about.  That was as far as I got.  I did try to plan a lunch date with a friend.  The thing is that with Belle on a "once in a lifetime" trip I don't really have a lot of extra money to do anything.  I am saving on skating this week so that is good, but still it doesn't quite equal the output.  So I decided to clean.

 Belle's room was number one.  Now I know that many of you are shaking your heads as you read this and thinking that I shouldn't  do it for her or invade her space or both, but it had to be done.  It was scary!  I had scheduled the exterminator to come and I didn't want a lecture from him about creating a bug habitat in an upstairs bedroom and how he couldn't possibly spray in there.  In any case, there was trash, a lot of trash.  It was really, really GROSS!   It is clean now, the rug is shampooed, the linens are cleaned and there are 3 boxes of stuff to go through with Belle.  Oh, and a lot of clothes to sort through as well- she needs to purge!  The cleaning sort of lead to the stupid stuff.  Here are some of the stupid random thoughts/things that happened while I was cleaning.

*I found duct tape in both my children's rooms.  I have no idea why.  I can't ask them- they are busy other places.  It is driving me crazy.  When they were little I used to find the measuring tape in their rooms, we actually had 2 and I would not know where either one was- sure enough each kid had one.  I think it is a conspiracy to make me nuts.

*Belle wastes a lot of stuff.  I found a bunch of stuff that would have been usable if properly dealt with in her room, but now it is trash.  I didn't have the energy to sort the opened water bottles from the unopened. 

*Mascara doesn't come out of a carpet.  It doesn't matter how many times you go over it with the spot tool.

*Chocolate, likewise is fairly permanent.

*Skating competitions give away too many bags- Belle has an enormous collection of them.  It filled the bottom of her closet.  Thank you to our rink for switching it up and giving other kinds of "bags" like lunchboxes and beach bags.  Yours stand out from the crowd.

*I need to sell some old skating dresses, but I am not sure I am ready to part with them.

*In fact, I think there is a lot of old athletic equipment that could be sold just sitting around our house.  Hmmm, garage sale?  Is there a market for used soakers, skate guards, free weights, basketball shoes, workout bands, etc.?

*How long should you keep old running shoes?  Is there a time limit?  Why do my children have so many pairs of old athletic shoes laying around?  I hate to say this, but if they are past the point of wearing for training they should go in the garbage!  No one else really wants those stinky shoes either.

*My dogs love dirty laundry.  They have been in heaven since I threw all the clothes over the balcony into the living room to wash.  I think 1/2 of them were clean but again, I didn't want to sort and they all seemed kind of gross to me.

*How many towels can a 16 year old girl use?

*The next time I say look in your room for the phone and they say- it isn't there, they are going back to look again.  I found them both in their bedrooms!

*My sister called while I was cleaning.  She is considering adopting a little dog that she has sort of been foster dog parenting.  She said she is naming it after my Mom.  Mom does not think this is funny.  I sort of do.

Well, I don't know how "super or selfish" my break has been, but it has been productive.  I am happy with the carpet cleaning.  I even got out today and went to Wal-Mart (oh, the excitement) to buy more cleaning supplies.  Tomorrow is a test session for our skating club so I will be there.  That is actually an entirely full blog of it's own, but I am back on the board for the time being.  Saturday we are headed to see Moose play in a scrimmage.  Peter Pan is beyond thrilled.  I just can't wait to see Moose, football or not.  But in any case we have a busy weekend planned.  Sunday we pick Belle up from the airport.  I can hardly wait.  Like I said, I am completely lost! 

Musings at the Drive Through

I drove through a fast food place for food yesterday morning.  Here are some thoughts I had waiting for my turn to order...

Do you ever listen in on the order of the car in front of you when you are at the drive through?  Is that rude? 

Why would you buy a Mercedes that is two toned?  And if you do get a two toned Mercedes why choose red and brown?  Just my opinion but it looked like it had been to a bad body shop. (Sorry if you have a red and brown Mercedes!)  If you do have a Mercedes can't you afford a better class of breakfast than drive through?

Do you ever do the last minute breakfast rush?  You hurry to the fast food place hoping to make it to the squawk box before they do the switch from breakfast to lunch.  Then you get behind someone who has a million questions and can't decide what they want (Yes, this is one of those evesdropping moments.)  "Do you have to get hash browns with a meal or can you get them by themselves?  Can I get lemonade with that?  What size would that be?" ..... and on and on and on.  I just want my one little biscuit/muffin/burrito for breakfast.  The worst is when they really do switch over while you are waiting, "I'm sorry we are serving lunch now." 

If you are ordering more than 10 items why don't you go inside?  The rest of us in the line really hate waiting while you order 7 sausage biscuits, 4 burritos, 2 ham and egg muffins, 13 hashbrowns and 15 coffees.  I realize that it is a pain to carry all that out to your car, but please be considerate of the rest of the line.

Once I saw two teenage boys back through the drive through.  They thought they were hilarious.  It was kind of funny.  This was when Michael was about 2 so I imagine that they are now fathers themselves and they probably still tell their friends and family about the time they backed through the drive through.

Some places are better than others.  You know the ones, you have to wait and wait.  Finally they send you off to the "parking spot" with the assurance that your food will be "right out."  Fast food my tail side, I could get a sit down meal quicker.  Along those same lines some places just shouldn't have drive throughs, they just aren't fast enough.

Sometimes I get in a panic when it is my turn to order and I don't know exactly what I want.  Does that ever happen to anyone else?  Then while you are looking for what you want all the sudden everything looks the same and you can't find the thing you want.  This happens especially often at a certain taco drive through.  It doesn't help that all of these places continually update their menus.  This is one place in my life where I like a little bit of consistency.

All this of course just serves to further reinforce that for many, many reasons I just should stay out of the drive through.  We will see how that works out...

Pet Peeve or Why Can't You Just Put It Away

Why do children have such a hard time putting things away?  Is it so hard to walk 5 steps to the trash and throw away the empty cereal box?  Do you have to leave dirty dishes on the table?  If you are done with the cereal/pasta/crackers can't you put the box in the pantry?    Why do you put the empty box/bag/carton back into the cabinet or fridge instead of the trash?  Does this serve a purpose at all, and the excuse that there is still a little in there when it has about 1/4 an inch in the bottom isn't working for me.  I don't understand this.   2 seconds of work, problem solved.  No screaming mother, you don't have to stop your game/facebooking/texting to come back and deal with it.   

It isn't just kitchen stuff either, I have watched shoes grow roots on my steps waiting to be taken upstairs.  Clean laundry gets piled on the floor and then tossed about as they look for something to wear.  This leads to another pet peeve- still folded clean clothes in the laundry hamper to be washed again because the got mixed in with the dirty clothes.  I just don't understand it!

Belle left for Italy this morning on a school trip.  I got back from the airport to find 2 empty water bottles, a bottle of body spray, a black bag, 3 old pay stubs of hers, a pencil bag, a lunch box, and a wristlet on my dining room table.  It is ridiculous.  Why can't people just put things back where they belong?

I just don't get it?

April Fool's Day

I survived April Fool's Day.  I was really worried because my class had been asking the Librarian for prank books, whispering to each other all week, and generally trying to figure out how to get me.  I love a good prank, provided no one gets hurt- physically or emotionally.  The thing is third graders ideas usually involve bugs or toilet paper or both.  Come to think of it my son probably would use bugs and toilet paper in a prank as well.  I can handle a plastic bug or two, no real ones please.  I can handle a little toilet paper strewn about.  What troubled me was what I should do back.  You have to be really careful.  I didn't want to really hurt anyone's feelings, and you never know when a prank will backfire that way. 

Finally my team teaching buddy and I decided to give them a math "quiz".  It had 49 problems, all pretty big and hairy for third grade.  The directions said "Read every problem first.  Then solve the problems."  There was some more direction about scrap paper and writing answers, but question number 49 said to skip questions 1-48, get a book and read quietly.  It told them to be really secretive about it.  Well, I passed them out, going on about how they needed to do their best work.  I even reminded them to read the directions before they started.  Not a single child did!  I was amazed.  They all got right to work on solving the problems.  One or two got a little upset at a couple of the harder ones.  I just reminded them that each one was only worth about 2 point so they could just skip it and go on to the next one, then come back later and figure it out. 

I let them work for about 20 minutes before I told them the secret.  Almost all of them thought it was hilarious.  A couple said they knew it, but did the work anyway- a bald faced lie, they had never turned over their papers, but what does it matter.  One child said that I gave him a headache- he was a little upset about it.  I am not sure why he got upset.  My best guess is that he just didn't like it that I "won" one.  He is kind of competitive that way.

They did get me a couple of times, there were several plastic tarantulas that kept appearing, and one plastic snake showed up.  They also did some lovely sign taping on my back- it was cute though it said to say "Hi" to me.  And of course there was the ever present look over there-  made you look, April fool's.  Overall we had a really fun day.  No one really got out of hand.  I did mark every answer wrong on the child's test who really tormented me with a tarantula- then I asked what happened.  His eyes got big, he was shocked till he saw my April Fool note. 

I hope that for years to come they will remember that we had fun together in third grade, including April Fool's Day.  I hope they will know that I cared enough about them to play along.  School should be fun!  Not every minute, but there should be fun incorporated.  I may never be teacher of the year, I may not be the best  teacher, but I hope that my class will remember third grade fondly. 

Oh, and the best part of my day-  at 1:41, 5 minutes before I was supposed to leave for Spring Break, the custodian said, "They told you we are moving all the furniture out of your room to do the floor over Spring Break right?"  Nope, "they" didn't.  Surprise, and not an April Fool.  I did the best super fast clean up I could, but I am dreading what I am going to find after the break. 

Tomorrow Belle leaves for Italy so I am planning to have a blissfully uneventful week at home to catch up on all the stuff that needs to get done around here!  I am going to sleep late, clean a little, catch up with some old friends, and basically be totally selfish for 1 whole week.  I will miss Belle, but I am excited for my super selfish Spring Break.  I will keep you all updated!